The Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 (2014 Edition) follows the new Galaxy Note 3’s lead in terms of features and design. The AirView effect is obvious, as is the light leather finish on the back. Design is an important upgrade, as it helps the Note 10.1 feel more premium. But does the Note 10.1 do enough to distinguish itself from last year’s relatively disappointing entry? It measures 0.31 inches thick and weighs 535 grams. So it’s not as light as the iPad Air but still quite sleek, thin and portable overall. Build quality is excellent, though there is some slight give at the back. It’s nothing serious but as with any portable device, always be careful when handling it.
Specs
The 10.1 inch TFT LCD display with 2560x1600 resolution provides stunning good looks, excellent viewing angles and great colour quality. The signature saturation of Samsung displays is there but nothing too gawky. The performance relies on an octa-core Exynos 5420, which includes four 1.9 GHz Cortex A15 cores for high performance and four 1.3 GHz Cortex A7 cores for battery saving. This is along with a whopping 3 GB of RAM, an ARM Mali-T626 GPU and 32 GB internal storage. A microSD slot provides for even more space. But despite the technology behind it, the tablet struggles to keep up in performance. It’s a shame, especially with all the multi-window functionality embedded, but the Note 10.1 can lag and even become unresponsive at times. Its battery life, despite having a capacity of 8220 mAh, provides roughly 8 hours of so of continuous, heavy performance. It lasts a good day or so with above average usage, but it’s still not as good as its predecessor. At least the functionality is severely upgraded. Android 4.3 Jelly Bean is the interface but TouchWiz is the star. The S Pen stylus allows for AirView to create new windows, run two programs on the same screen and much more. My Magazine allows for a content feed similar to Flipboard, and while it worked very well on the Note 3, it feels somewhat limited here compared to the original app. Scrapbook is still great and allows you to save little bits of information here and there without much problem. Story Album, Smart Stay, S Translator and the lot still exist and work as good as ever. As for the 8 megapixel camera: it’s really just impractical but there for those want it.
Pros:
- Large amount of RAM
- 2K resolution display looks amazing
- Above average battery life
- S Pen opens up many different functions
- Decent build quality and look
Cons:
- Battery life not as good as previous year’s model
- Can feel flimsy in some places
- Some performance issues persist, mostly due to lack of optimization
Verdict:
As a larger version of the Note 3, the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 (2014 Edition) looks and feels the part. Performance and battery issues keep it from being spectacular though. Premium tablet users should try before they buy.